Is Your Ice Cream Ruined? Find Out If Freezer Burn is the End

There is nothing worse than opening up your freezer door and pulling out a tub of delicious ice cream and finding it colorless and hard with a layer of frost on top of it. This effect is known as freezer burn. So what is it and how can you prevent it from attacking your food?

 I'm sure we've all experienced the phenomenon. From meat to bread, nothing is immune, even ice cubes are affected when placed in such a harsh environment. It happens because of the very low temperatures. Of course, any water present when chilled to so far below zero will form ice. This makes the interior very dry. 

But it is not inert. Through a process called sublimation, water can be lost from ice as it turns directly into water vapor. This means that the moisture content of anything you put in your freezer will reduce over time. This is especially true of the outer surface of uncovered foodstuffs. You can see the process most dramatically in the reduced size of ice cubes left for a considerable length of time.

 Food that is altered by burn will not be dangerous for the most part, but because of the changed physical and chemical conditions they will have little taste and a funny texture. It's best to remove any parts you can see or dispose of it altogether.

 So how to avoid freezer burn on your food? Well wrapped or cover things will survive for the longest period. So make sure you use plenty of plastic or tinfoil in your kitchen. Don't leave things in there for too long, there will generally be a guide on the inside of the door. You could consider writing the date you put stuff in to help you keep track of hoe long they have been in there.